Things To Check if Your Wi-Fi Seems Slow

Odds are good that you have a wireless router, either in your office, or at home. If you do, then you’ve probably noticed that some days, your connection just isn’t so great. The reason? More likely than not, it’s interference.

Because all wireless routers use the same set of frequencies, if you live in a heavily populated area, it could be the case that your router’s signal is being “squeezed out” and interfered with by the networks of the people around you. The good news is there’s a simple way to test if this is indeed the case.

The first thing you’ll need is software that scans the area for area networks. There are literally dozens of these, but one of the best, most popular, and easiest to use is Net Stumbler. Downloading this and setting it up takes mere minutes. It’s recommended that you put the software on a laptop, so you can move it around the space to check for competing networks that might be visible from different parts of your house.

Run the software, and it will show you a list of all networks in the area, their signal strengths, and what channel they’re using in the range of channels that wireless routers support. You’ll be able to compare your network (which will also be on the list) with the other networks in the detection range. If you see other networks with good signal strengths using the same channel as yours, it’s likely that you’re seeing interference from that network.

If this is the case, you can switch your router to a channel that your neighbors aren’t using, and in doing so, boost the overall performance of your Internet connection. Changing your router’s channel is a fairly simple, straightforward process, but depending on the type of router you have, will determine how to best change the channel. Search for your routers model number on the web and look for changing Wi-Fi channel.

Though finding the channels can be fairly easy, finding available space, using the right channels, and programming the router may be more difficult. Sometimes it will require multiple access points to provide good speed and coverage throughout the home or office space. We have a post about speeding up your router. If you need help with this, Connectech can help to find the right combination to give you the speed and coverage you need. Just give us a call or contact us.